Olive Garden’s Bread Stick Crostini: Is It A Hit Or A Miss?

Did you happen to see the press release which appeared in the business section of last week’s newspaper?

As of this writing, we are two months away from the launch of Olive Garden's crostini made from their world-famous breadsticks. Obviously, I have not had the opportunity to taste them, so why am I writing today?

For those who have not indulged in an Olive Garden breadstick, let me digress for a moment to describe them to you: Soft, golden breadsticks, tender inside and out, brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with garlic salt. A heavenly, ethereal side dish waiting to help you sop up every luxurious drop of Olive Garden meaty spaghetti sauce, silky Alfredo sauce, or savory soup in your bowl.

What's not to love? Olive Garden's breadsticks are all that a carb-lover could want, and more!

But, the bread described above is not the bread of which crostini are made.

True, authentic Italian crostini are.....

In Italian, the word crostini means “little toasts,” which is an accurate description of this food. Crostini are made by thinly slicing bread, and toasting or grilling it so that it becomes crispy. The slices can be drizzled with olive oil. They can then be served in this simple way, or further adorned with an assortment of toppings and used as appetizers or as a garnish with soups and salads.

I would like to tell you a story about crostini, but first I need to explain what might be thought of as the holy trinity of Italian toasted breads. There are three—bruschette, crostini, and friselle.

• Bruschetta—the name “bruschetta” is believed to come from brusca, an Italian name for the brush used to clean horses (wow, isn’t that an appealing mental image!) It is said that the rough texture of the toasted bread resembled the old curry tool used by Italian farmers.
• Crostini are essentially the same thing, but smaller, meant to accompany soups, and they are served with some kind of spread. You will also find the word Crostini used for what we know as croutons.
• And then there are Friselle, which are hard bagels, made with semolina or whole wheat flour. They are dried in the oven in half slices and can be stored for several months. Historically they would be taken along by the crusaders to last during their long voyage; and the fishermen who would use sea water to soften the hard bagels before adding a topping made of herbs, fish or tomatoes. (Wow, am I every glad that I missed that voyage!)

No one knows with any certainty, but according to ancient folklore, the tradition of serving toasted bread topped with garlic and olive oil originated in the Tuscanny region. My hub about Tuscan (unsalted) bread explains that this bland bread is meant to be adorned with seasonings.

Some think that the practice of placing food atop toasted bread began in medieval times, when peasants ate on slices of bread instead of using plates. One might also assume that often the bread was stale and needed the assistance of oil, vinegar, or some type of sauce or moist meats on top to soften the bread and make it chewable.

But, Marcella Hazen, renowned Italian cookbook author, believes that crostini dates back to Roman times, when a piece of bread was used to sample freshly-pressed olive oil.

Olive Garden has wonderful bread sticks, but when you are in the mood for crostini, why not make your own?

Equipment You Will Need

• 2 large rimmed baking sheets
• sharp serrated knife for slicing bread
• pastry brush

• One 8-10 ounce baguette
• 3/4 cup good-quality olive oil
• sea salt and coarse ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice baguette into 1/4-inch thick slices. You should get about 60 slices from one loaf.

Place the sliced baguette on two large rimmed baking sheets (about 30 on each sheet). Brush with olive oil and then season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake crostini in preheated oven until golden, about 15 minutes.